


I'm Glad I Met You

by rainbowRamen



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Birthday celebrations-ish, Chiyu's mom is also there for like one scene sOOOOO yeah, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, HFSDFHS HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEST GIRL, I WILL PROTECT CHU2 WITH MY LIFE, Rokka and Masuki are there but they don't have any lines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:47:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27913285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainbowRamen/pseuds/rainbowRamen
Summary: Even when Chiyu forgets her own birthday, thinking it so insignificant, the rest of RAS don't.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 18





	I'm Glad I Met You

**Author's Note:**

> (Title's cribbed from Beautiful Birthday because of fucking course it is...)
> 
> First of all, I didn't have much time to do this sO I APOLOGIZE FOR ANY ERRORS hdjkfhksdhf
> 
> BUT ALSO!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY BEST GIRL CHU2 AAAAAAAAAAA!!! I'm spending the rest of today fawning and appreciating our favorite smol gremlin child
> 
> (Also, I hope you enjoy reading!)

"Mother...? Are you leaving already...?"

A young girl with long pink hair tied into a braid and curious, sky-blue eyes looks up at her mom as her tiny fingers curl deeper into the scarf around her neck, her other hand grasping onto the edge of her brown coat. The softly falling snow catches on her eyelashes, snowflakes gently tumbling from the sky and onto the stone pavements covered in white.

Her mother shakes her head slightly, a sad smile on her face as she reaches out to place a hand on her daughter's head, tenderly stroking her hair. "I'm sorry, Chiyu," she whispers, "you must know that this is for the best. Though I must leave you again, I'm sure that you'll be able to handle yourself. You're a big, strong girl, after all. I know that you'll have things under control."

Chiyu's lips curl into a disappointed frown as her expression grows more desperate, unwilling to part with her mother just yet, "But, Mother," her voice shakes as her eyes water ever so slightly, "It's only been a few days. You've only just arrived," her shoulders tremble as her fingers dig further into the fabric of her scarf, "You promised that we would go to see the stars tonight...right? It's supposed to be a special day! Can't you stay one more night?" A little hand reaches out to grasp a much bigger one, one that Chiyu knows she probably would never get to hold again any time soon. One that weaved magic with her violin, that gained recognition and _approval._ Something she would never be able to attain.

The two's linked hands are wet by Chiyu's tears, cascading down her cheeks, but despite Chiyu's pleas, the older woman does not listen. She only moves her hand away from her daughter's, that regretful smile never leaving her.

"I'm sorry, Chiyu, I really am. This show is extremely important. The next time we meet, I promise, I'll be sure to take you and your father to watch the stars, okay? Can you forgive me?"

And despite knowing that she most likely would never make good on that, Chiyu nods anyway, sniffling, wiping her tears away.

"...Okay."

As the woman gives her one last kiss on the forehead, Chiyu watches as she waves for a moment before turning around and walking off, disappearing into the night. The street lamps illuminate the child left alone with their warm yellow light. She brings up a hand to her forehead, not caring about the single, solemn tear that falls onto the concrete of the pavement.

* * *

Chiyu feels something warm trickling down her face when she awakens and the fabric underneath her head _wet._ Oh, that's right...she'd fallen asleep at the couch. Slowly, she sits up, reaching up to touch her cheek. It's wet. Blinking, she wipes the residue of her tears away, shaking her head.

Now's not the time to be thinking about such things. Still, though, she does wonder why she'd dream of _that_ , of all things. Glancing at the digital clock on the table nearby, she lets out a soft sigh, not willing to move.

Since that day, she hadn't seen her mother much, only on the news when the TV had nothing better to play, or whenever she had the _audacity_ to call and just talk about _herself_. She hates it.

Carefully, she slips her headphones back on and reaches for her phone to check the messages. Nothing, except for the usual fanfare of the RAS group chat and a missed video message from her mother that she knows isn't of any significance, but she decides to open it up anyway and play it.

Her mother's chipper voice sounds loudly as the video pops up on the huge screen above, an almost too big smile on her face, _"Hi, Chiyu! Has it started snowing there yet? Yesterday's concert was another resounding success! I received a standing ovation after my performance. I took curtain call after curtain call!"_ As expected, she's only talking about herself. Ugh. _"How are you spending your birthday? Your father and I sent a present in the mail. You're going to love it! If there's anything else you need, feel free to ask. Talk to you soon!"_

It's her birthday today? Confused, she pulls up the date on her phone, a 7th December in fancy white text looking back at her.

_Oh._

She'd completely forgotten. It'd been such an insignificant thing, ever since _that_ day. They don't understand a single thing. Not at all. Physical gifts are _not what she wants, dammit._ The video quickly disappears, leaving Chiyu alone in the silence again. She pulls herself up, dragging her tired, numb feet along as she trudges to the studio. She needs to get to practice soon.

* * *

When she steps into the studio, she's surprised to see that the other four are already there. Chiyu raises an eyebrow.

"You guys are early today. What's the occasion?" They don't give much of a reply, much to her slight frustration, but she can see how they exchange glances and nod almost collectively. "Hey, I said--"

Rei just puts a finger to her lips, hushing Chiyu. "Shh. Here, take a seat." The poor producer still can't quite find the right words to use, but she just shakes her head in confusion and does so. They smile to each other knowingly, heading into the practice booth without words, though their faces give away their excitement for whatever they're about to do. Though, before Chiyu can actually say anything to them, mildly irritated with the silence, her eyes still glued to the spot where they once stood, Reona grabs onto her leather seat from behind her (when did she even show up there??), causing her to jump a little.

"Right this way, CHU2-sama!"

"Hey, stop, what are you--" Reona pushes her seat down the hall (and Chiyu along with it), practically slamming the door to the booth open, Chiyu yelping in surprise. It's actually quite cute. Reona drags the chair over in front of the instrument setups, giving Chiyu a rather nice view of the whole booth, not hidden by the glass separating the booth and CHU2's workspace this time.

There's silence for a moment, Chiyu's breath pausing as Rei's hand grips her trusty bass, and she casts a glance at Reona, who nods back in understanding. The music begins with a gentle piano tune, and two words spilling from the vocalist's lips.

_Beautiful Birthday._

The song soon progresses from a sole piano's melody into a fully-fledged song, the guitar, drums and bass joining in not long after. Chiyu's fingers curl into the armrests of her seat as Rei's voice fills the air, strong and proud. Her purple eyes seem to pierce right through Chiyu, leaving her frozen, unable to say or do anything. They're smiling for _her._ It's a song dedicated to her. Even the lyrics seem to ring true somewhere deep within her.

Why is her heart racing? Why is she shaking? Why does she feel so happy? Nobody's ever celebrated her birthday like this. No one's ever cared. Not her parents, not _anyone_ at all. But here they are, singing an entire _song_ for her.

She can only let herself drown in the sounds wrapping around her, embracing her, the lyrics washing over her like a tidal wave. This isn't just any ordinary song, but one that was written...for her. That alone is enough to make her head spin. Even as the song ends, faster than she could even keep up with, leaving behind silence, she can only gasp softly. Feelings, emotions she'd never even considered, things she'd never even truly _known_ \- happiness, wonder; they mix together, leaving behind only a sense of _comfort,_ sending her heart aflutter.

Happiness. That's what Chiyu really feels.

Before she knows it, the song is over, but those feelings and sensations still linger all the same. It's only then that she realizes that tears are streaming down her face. Since when? How long has it been since she's cried like this? Her throat tightens, dry, unable to speak the words she wants to, even as the members she'd so taken for granted smile at her.

"Happy birthday, CHU2-sama," Reona is the last to speak, a smile unlike any that Chiyu had ever seen on her face, "I love you!"

Chiyu's vision clouds over with tears. She tries to blink them away, failing horribly, averting her gaze, her cheeks glowing red. "This is unfair!" Her plight is met with laughter and smiles as the others poke at her for it playfully.

In her head, she thinks that this is truly the most beautiful birthday.

* * *

Backstage, is when all the stage nerves come crawling in. Hearing the excited audience outside only serves to make one more anxious. That's how Chiyu had always felt, without fail...

But not anymore.

Strangely, she feels safe. She's looking through the curtains backstage, biting her lip as she watches Poppin' Party's performance end, the sounds of the crowd roaring so _loud,_ but she isn't scared this time. Glancing to the side, it looks like the others are about to do another one of those huddles. Though previously she thought it was stupid, well, perhaps she could give it a try this time. For some reason, the thought of it gives Chiyu a comfort that nothing else can.

So, when they walk up the stage, for the first time, she's not nervous. Even as the spotlights shine against her, she's sure - she _knows_ that this live will go well. It _will._

There's something different about the performance this time. Though usually she's always worrying deep down that she wouldn't be able to play right, there's none of that now. When was the last time she had ever felt so truly happy playing with her band like this?

Her heart races as her fingers deftly move across the DJ board, turning the knobs and running along the buttons, gliding the crossfaders of the table. Sweat drips from her forehead, glistening in the spotlight. Had Chiyu ever had this much fun? She doesn't know. Probably not, because for the first time, she doesn't care about the things that usually bother her for some strange reason.

Now she understands. _T_ _his_ is how they're meant to change the world! Not with her vision alone, no - but with _everyone's_. 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I know that was NOT how the canon setup to Beautiful Birthday was like but fhdfhsdk I just thought this would be nicer. Also, I wasn't actually originally going to include the last scene in there but I just tossed it in because why not lmao
> 
> Again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CHU2!!! I hope you guys enjoyed, and see you again soon (hopefully)!


End file.
